Business for UK retailers continued to be weak in September. Sales shrank by 1.4 percent compared to the previous month, as the statistics office ONS announced on Friday in London. Experts had only expected a drop of 0.5 percent. As the statistical office also reported, the sales level is 1.3 percent lower than at the beginning of the corona pandemic in February 2020.
The fall in sales in September swept across all major sectors, with the declines in grocery being the sharpest. The statisticians explained the weak sales development with rising prices and the associated high cost of living. In addition, national mourning following the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II had an impact on sales because retail stores were temporarily closed.
Retail sales had already fallen in August. The damper in the previous month was also somewhat stronger than previously known. The Bureau of Statistics revised the month-on-month decline to 1.7 percent after previously reporting a 1.6 percent drop.
In a year-on-year comparison, the statistical office reported a 6.9 percent drop in revenue. In this regard, only a decline of 5.0 percent was expected. (dpa)